So, my wife had to head to the church for a meeting yesterday evening and took the boys with her since there was childcare. That free'd me up to make an after work stress relief sit. Been a hectic couple of weeks and the stress is there.
I ran home (work is a mile away), swapped vehicles, grabbed a rifle, socks, boots, jeans and a shirt and rolled out. A cool snap has finally hit the area along with an overcast sky and I knew the deer would be moving finally.
Got to the club to find a whole bunch of people out there. I checked the wind a chose a stand that I thought it would impact the least, only one shooting lane downwind. I roll the dino oil to the coal burner and blast down the road, I don't want to be late. I huff it to the stand, put the rifle on a pull rope and climb up 18' to my perch. I'm thinking a big fat doe on this stand would be the target since a big old 6 point we've been trying to determine if it is a cull has been the only buck sighted here.
I get up in the stand, strap off my pack, pull out my water bottle and spit bottle for the mandatory hunting chew, get the bino's out and covers off and turn around to pull the rifle up. He's standing downwind at a feeder about 120 yards away, looking my way. I slowly inched the gun up and got it over the rail. I don't believe my luck that he's still there and hasn't bolted yet. He's just staring my direction. I get still and quiet but I'm looking at this one through the scope only, which by the way is hard to keep real steady on a heavy rifle like this on the offhand. He finally turned to present the rest of his rack, 8 points not 6, I'm in business. I contort myself into a position that allows resting the barrel somewhat and take the shot.
The 150grn, 45.5 grn H4350 over a Win LR primer detonates from the 7mm08 brass and travels down the tube of the Remington 700 SPS Varmint with modifications. It enters the bucks's neck and exits the rear of the rib cage halfway up the body. Very good penetration but would have preferred the high shoulder shot, he just didn't give it to me and I couldn't wait any longer, did I mention being contorted into an unnatural state of being.
You'd think he would have dropped right there, nope. Joker ran about 50-60 yards blowing blood and tissue everywhere. And damn if he didn't head into the thickest briars he could find. The blood trail was a dern highway to him though. Found him and went for the 4 Wheeler and fish him out.
Sometimes you just never know how things are going to shake out. You just gotta go at every chance and put the time in. Good things will happen sooner or later if you do. I've sat since the 1st of September through heat and mosquitos and knats, seen plenty of deer just nothing I would put on the wall until last night.
